This course is put together for those who wish to learn the skills needed for trekking independently in the Alps. During a weekend of fantastic walking, the course will look at general mountain awareness as well as specific skills. At the end you will have acquired a sound base of knowledge which will help you organise your own alpine trekking trips in the future.
Although the weekend is aimed at those who are new to alpine trekking and those who wish to build up greater autonomy and safety in an alpine trekking environment, it is also popular as a preparation and acclimatisation weekend prior to another alpine trip or course such as the Tour du Mont Blanc or similar.
During the weekend we will look at a wide range of skills which may include:
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-route planning
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-navigation skills, including use of altimeter and GPS
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-alpine weather
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-equipment/clothing
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-nutrition and health
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-movement and route choice
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-expedition skills
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-emergency procedures
The skills weekend will be run in Chamonix Mont Blanc as a two day ‘expedition’ with an overnight stay in a mountain hut and with skills being taught ’on the go’ using a relaxed integrated approach.
Available for individuals or groups, we tailor the exact itinerary to your needs and the current conditions in the Alps. The skills weekends can be organised at any time and is not excluded to weekends, although most people chose a weekend due to work and family commitments. The trips can also be extended to a long weekend trip. A sample itinerary is shown below.
Brief itinerary:
Day 1:
Arrive Chamonix valley and meet with leader in the evening for welcome, briefing and a look at equipment.
Day 2:
We trek from the Vallorcine valley to Refuge Loriaz (2020m) where we spend the night. Along the route we will look at navigation, weather, emergency and other alpine skills.
Day 3:
Today we will pick a route that travels through more varied and challenging terrain. From Loriaz we have an interesting ascent to Col de la Terasse and a traverse to Col des Corbeaux. From the Col we descent to the top of the small valley Val de Tre les Eaux. We follow the valley down to our trip’s starting point in the Vallorcine valley and transfer back to Chamonix to catch evening flights back.
Your trip can be extended to spend an extra night in Chamonix and/or extra days in the mountains.
Skills Weekend
View image gallery:
Trekking and walking holidays: Chamonix Spring Walking ; Best of Mont Blanc Walking ; Tour du Mont Blanc trek ; Haute Route trek, Chamonix to Zermatt ; Gran Paradiso trek.
Tailor made trekking and walking: Weekend Explorer trek ; Trekking skills weekend ; Tailor made trekking ; Tailor made trekking expeditions.
Snowshoeing in the Alps: Best of Mont Blanc snowshoe week ; Weekend Explorer Snowshoeing ; Tailor made snowshoeing.
Corporate activities
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